Because It Just Feels Good
A couple of months ago my friend and colleague, Kristin La Voie of Kristin La Voie Photography, was gracious enough to put up with the 107 degree heat index (at that point it wasn't a regular occurrence!) and take my goofy portraits. Now I say goofy because, despite basing my entire life around cameras, I am just as uncomfortable in front of one as the next person. See the below less-than-flattering "out takes" as proof.
After going through this whole process from the other side of things - choosing a location, picking out a couple of outfits, attempting to make sure I wasn't doing anything too ridiculous with myself or my face - I realized this should be something all of us as photographers do at least once a year. It was a great reminder of how hard being photographed is and the craziness we unintentionally put our clients through! (Just another reason I'm blow away by the amazing people I get to know and capture).
Needless to say, Kristin did a stellar job and despite as self-centered as this will sound, I love looking at them!
Now here's to the real point and title behind this post. Regardless of how long it took me to pick out the outfits and how awkward I felt during the process, I love the end result! It just feels good to see myself smiling and laughing and enjoying the moment. It just feels good to get dressed up just for yourself (despite sweating through all of the clothes by the end of it all). It just feels good to look at beautiful images and realize you are a part of them!
So stop worrying that you aren't a super model or that you always feel awkward in front of a camera. Trust me, if I can do it, you can do it! Just take a deep breath and enjoy the moment. Life passes us all by so quickly, so even if it's just for an hour one random day allow it to be captured because it just feels good.
